What Is the True Gospel?
What is the gospel?
If you were to ask the average person who professes to be a Christian that question, what kind of answer would you get? You might hear, “Just believe in Jesus, and you'll be saved.” Or perhaps, “The gospel is that God sent His Son to die for our sins.” And you might hear something as simple as, “Jesus loves you.”
Now, are those statements true? Absolutely. There is truth in every one of them. We certainly do need to believe in Jesus Christ. And biblical belief involves much more than simply acknowledging that He existed. We also know that God sent His Son to die for our sins. And yes, God loves us.
But here's the question we really need to ask: Is that the complete gospel that Jesus Christ came to preach? And if it isn't, shouldn't we want to know what the gospel actually is? That's really what we're going to look at today.
We're not going to base the answer on what a church tradition says. We're not going to base it on what we've always heard. And we're not going to base it on what somebody happens to believe. Instead, let's open the Bible and let the Word of God tell us. Because when it comes to something as important as the gospel—and ultimately our salvation—we need to know what Jesus Christ Himself actually taught.
So, What Did Jesus Preach?
Let's start with something very important. Jesus Christ came to this earth as a messenger from God the Father. Jesus Himself said that He did not come speaking His own words. He spoke the words the Father had given Him. You can read that in John 8:38-42, John 12:49-50, and John 14:24. So think about that for a moment. If Jesus Christ was sent by the Father, and if He spoke the Father's words, then shouldn't we pay very close attention to the message He was sent to deliver?
Absolutely. And here's where things become very interesting. When we read the accounts of Jesus' ministry, we repeatedly find Him preaching about the Kingdom of God. Look at Matthew 4:23. Look at Matthew 9:35. Look at Mark 1:14-15. Look at Luke 4:43. Look at Luke 8:1. And look at Matthew 24:14. Again and again, we find the same message. The Kingdom of God. So the gospel Jesus preached wasn't simply a message about Himself.
Yes, Jesus is central to God's plan. Yes, He came to die for our sins. Yes, He is our Savior. But we need to understand all of that within the larger message He brought from the Father. And what was that message? The good news of the Kingdom of God. That's the gospel Jesus preached.
But What Is a Kingdom?
Now someone might say, “Okay, I understand that Jesus preached the Kingdom of God. But what exactly is the Kingdom of God?” That's a very good question. Think about what we mean when we use the word kingdom today. A kingdom has a ruler. It has territory. It has people—subjects or citizens. And it has laws and a system of government. So, essentially, we're talking about a government ruling over a specific territory and the people living there. And the Kingdom of God is no different. There is a King. There is territory. There are subjects or citizens. And there are laws by which that Kingdom will be governed.
Now, who is going to be the King? The Bible makes that very clear. When Jesus Christ returns, He will be “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16). So the gospel is announcing something much bigger than simply what happens to us when we die. It is announcing the coming government of God—the Kingdom that Jesus Christ will establish on this earth. That's the good news Jesus came preaching.
Is the Kingdom of God Heaven?
Now let's address another very common idea. Many people have been taught that when a person dies, his or her soul goes to heaven. And because of that belief, people often assume that the Kingdom of God simply means heaven. But let's stop for a moment and ask: Is that what the Bible actually teaches? Let's see what Scripture says. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter was speaking about King David. And Peter said that David was both dead and buried, and that his tomb was still with them. Then Peter made this very interesting statement: “For David did not ascend into the heavens” (Acts 2:34). Now think about that. David was a man after God's own heart. Yet Peter plainly said that David had not gone to heaven. And Jesus said something similar in John 3:13: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven.”
So what happens when we die? The Bible repeatedly describes death as a kind of sleep. Ecclesiastes 9:5 tells us that the dead know nothing. Ecclesiastes 9:10 speaks of there being no work, thought, knowledge, or wisdom in the grave. And Job asked a very important question: “If a man dies, shall he live again?” Then Job said that he would wait until his change came (Job 14:14-15). So the biblical picture is not that people immediately go to heaven when they die. Instead, the dead are pictured as sleeping in their graves, awaiting the resurrection.
What Happens at the Resurrection? Now, here's where the picture becomes really exciting. Think about what happens when you go to sleep at night. You close your eyes. You go to sleep. And then you wake up. You might have been asleep for six, seven, or eight hours, but you're not consciously aware of all that time passing. Death is described in a similar way. A person may be in the grave for many years. But from that person's perspective, there is no awareness of the passage of time. It is as though one moment he is dead—and the next moment he is alive again in the resurrection.
And what happens then? The Kingdom of God is established on the earth. Jesus Christ will rule as King. And those who are resurrected and glorified will have the opportunity to rule with Him. The Bible speaks about the saints ruling with Christ over the peoples of the earth (Daniel 7:27; II Timothy 2:12; Revelation 2:26-28; 5:9-10; 20:4-6; 22:5). Now, that's quite a different picture from the idea of simply going to heaven when we die, isn't it? The Bible presents a future resurrection and a real Kingdom of God ruling on this earth.
What About God's Laws?
If God is going to establish a Kingdom, can that Kingdom function without laws? Of course not. Think about any nation today. What would happen if there were no laws? Everyone could simply do whatever seemed right in his or her own eyes. And that's exactly the kind of situation described in Judges 21:25. God's Kingdom will not operate that way. God is not the author of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33). There will be order. There will be peace. And there will be a standard of conduct. That standard is God's law. Now, we need to be careful about something here. Obeying God's law doesn't mean we can earn salvation. Salvation is God's gift. But God's law does show us how He expects us to live. It provides the standard by which we learn to live in harmony with God and with one another.
Jesus made this point very plainly when He was asked what one must do to have eternal life. His answer? “If you want to enter into [eternal] life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). That's pretty straightforward. And notice what Revelation 12:17 says about the saints. It describes them as those “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” So obedience to God matters. Very much. And when you read John 14, you find Jesus speaking to His disciples about keeping His commandments as He prepared them for what was coming. His death did not make obedience to God irrelevant. As a matter of fact, His incarnation is the pinnacle sample model of submission and obedience to His Heavenly Father, the ultimate sovereign king of creation.
Can We Earn Our Way Into God's Kingdom?
Now someone might say, “Wait a minute. Are you saying that if I obey God's laws, I can earn salvation?” No. That's not what we're saying. Scripture is very clear that salvation is God's gift (Ephesians 2:8). We cannot earn it. But at the same time, Scripture is equally clear that deliberate, persistent rebellion against God's standard will keep a person out of God's Kingdom (Galatians 5:19-21). So we have to hold these truths together. Salvation is a gift from God. But God also expects us to respond to that gift by changing the way we live. And Jesus gives us another important part of the picture in John 17:3: “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Notice that. Jesus describes eternal life as knowing God. And when the Bible speaks of “knowing” someone, it can mean much more than simply knowing facts about that person. It suggests a close, personal, experiential relationship.
God wants us to know Him. Not just know about Him. That's a very important distinction.
What Does It Mean to Repent?
And that brings us to repentance. Jesus said in Mark 1:15: “Repent, and believe the gospel.” So what does it mean to repent? Simply put, it means to turn around—to change direction. Suppose you're walking down a road and suddenly realize you're going the wrong way. What do you do? You turn around. You change direction. That's what repentance is about. When we hear God's truth and come to understand that our way of living is wrong, we don't simply say, “I'm sorry.” We change. John the Baptist said that we should “bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8). In other words, genuine repentance produces evidence. It changes the way we live. It's possible to feel guilty about something and still continue doing the same thing. That's remorse. But repentance goes further. Repentance says, “I was going the wrong way, and now I'm going to turn around and follow God's way.” The change becomes visible in our actions.
What Does It Mean to Believe the Gospel?
Now notice how repentance and belief fit together. Jesus didn't simply say, “Believe the gospel.” He said: “Repent and believe the gospel.” Why put those two things together? Because genuine belief produces action. If we truly believe something, we trust it. And if we trust it, we begin to live according to it. Your belief changes what you do. The same principle applies spiritually. When we truly believe God's message, it should change the way we live. We turn away from what is wrong, and we begin learning to live God's way. That's what Jesus was teaching when He said, “Repent and believe the gospel.” And that process leads us toward righteousness and, ultimately, salvation and entrance into God's Kingdom (II Peter 1:2-11).
Which Gospel Are We Hearing?
Now here's where we need to ask ourselves a very serious question. What gospel are we hearing today? Is it the same gospel Jesus Christ preached? Or have we gradually replaced His message with a message primarily about the Messenger? There's a widespread teaching that focuses almost entirely on Christ—His birth, His life, His death, and His sacrifice. And again, those things are absolutely important. But Jesus did not come simply to tell people about Himself. He came preaching the Kingdom of God. When He sent His disciples out, the emphasis was on proclaiming that Kingdom. So the question isn't whether Jesus is important. Of course He is.
The question is: Are we hearing the complete message He brought? Because what we believe matters. The gospel we accept matters. And the gospel we preach matters. Paul gave a very serious warning in Galatians 1:8: “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed!” That's strong language. Why? Because the gospel matters. We don't want to substitute our own ideas for the message God gave us through Jesus Christ. We need to go back to the Bible and ask: What did Jesus actually preach? And when we do that, we find the answer again and again: The Kingdom of God.
The Gospel Is About Where God Is Taking Us
So let's bring all of this together. The gospel is not simply a message about having our sins forgiven. It is certainly about forgiveness. It is certainly about Jesus Christ's sacrifice. It is certainly about God's love. But it goes beyond all of those things. The gospel reveals where God is taking humanity. It tells us about His coming Kingdom. It tells us about the role Jesus Christ will have as King. It tells us about the resurrection. It teaches us how God expects us to live. And it points us toward the ultimate purpose God is working out in our lives.
And here's something we should remember: This doesn't happen overnight. God doesn't simply reveal His truth to us one day and expect us to understand and accomplish everything immediately. It's a lifelong process. We learn. We grow. We make changes. We develop a relationship with God. We learn to trust Him. We learn to obey Him just like Jesus exemplifies by submitting to His Father’s incarnation mission for Him. And little by little, God's Word teaches us where we're going and how we should live so that we can reach the goal He has set before us.
That's why the gospel really is good news. It gives us hope. It gives us purpose. It tells us why we're here. It tells us where God is leading us. And it gives us a reason to change the way we live today. So when we hear the words “the gospel,” let's not automatically assume that it means only the story of Jesus' death. Let's go back to the Bible. Let's listen to the message Jesus Christ actually preached. And what do we find? We find the announcement of something truly remarkable: The Kingdom of God is coming.
And God is calling us to prepare for it—not merely by saying that we believe, but by allowing that belief to transform the way we live.
如果你去問一個自稱是基督徒的普通人這個問題，你會得到什麼樣的回答？你可能會聽到：「只要相信耶穌，你就能得救。」或者：「福音就是神差遣祂的兒子為我們的罪而死。」你也可能聽到一句很簡單的話：「耶穌愛你。」
那麼，這些說法對嗎？絕對沒錯。每一句話都有其真實之處。我們確實需要相信耶穌基督——而聖經所說的「相信」，遠不止是承認祂曾經存在過。我們也知道，神差遣祂的兒子為我們的罪而死。是的，神愛我們。
但這裡有一個我們真正需要問的問題：這就是耶穌基督來所傳講的完整福音嗎？如果不是，我們豈不更應該弄清楚福音究竟是什麼嗎？這正是我們今天要探討的內容。
我們不會以教會傳統的說法為依據，不會以我們一直以來所聽到的為依據，也不會以某個人碰巧相信的觀點為依據。相反，讓我們打開聖經，讓神的話語來告訴我們。因為當涉及到福音——乃至我們最終的救恩——這樣重要的事情時，我們需要知道耶穌基督自己究竟教導了什麼。
讓我們從一個非常重要的事實開始。耶穌基督來到世上，是作為父神的使者。耶穌自己說過，祂來不是講自己的話，而是講父賜給祂的話。你可以在約翰福音8:38-42、12:49-50和14:24中讀到這些。所以，請想一想：如果耶穌基督是父所差遣的，如果祂講的是父的話，那麼我們豈不應當極其認真地對待祂被差來所要傳遞的信息嗎？
絕對應當。而接下來事情就變得非常有意思了。當我們閱讀耶穌事工的記載時，我們會反覆發現祂在傳講神的國。看馬太福音4:23，看馬太福音9:35，看馬可福音1:14-15，看路加福音4:43，看路加福音8:1，看馬太福音24:14。一次又一次，我們看到同樣的信息——神的國。所以，耶穌所傳的福音並不僅僅是一個關於祂自己的信息。
是的，耶穌是神計劃的中心。是的，祂來是為我們的罪而死。是的，祂是我們的救主。但我們需要在祂從父那裡帶來的更大信息中來理解這一切。那個信息是什麼？就是關於神國的好消息。這就是耶穌所傳的福音。
有人可能會說：「好，我明白耶穌傳講了神的國。但神的國到底是什麼？」這是個很好的問題。想想我們今天使用「國」這個詞時是什麼意思。一個國有一位統治者，有領土，有人民——臣民或公民，還有法律和政府體系。所以，本質上我們說的是一個政府對特定領土及其上居民的治理。神的國也是如此。有一位君王，有領土，有臣民或公民，也有治理那個國的法律。
那麼，誰將成為君王？聖經說得非常清楚。當耶穌基督再來時，祂將是「萬王之王，萬主之主」（啟示錄19:16）。所以，福音所宣告的，遠比我們死後會怎樣要大得多。它宣告的是神即將到來的治理——耶穌基督將在這地上建立的國。這就是耶穌來所傳的好消息。
現在讓我們來討論另一個非常普遍的觀念。許多人被教導說，人死後靈魂就去天堂。因為這種信念，人們常常以為神的國就是天堂的意思。但讓我們停下來問一問：這是聖經真正教導的嗎？讓我們看看經文怎麼說。在五旬節那天，彼得談到大衛王。彼得說大衛已經死了，也埋葬了，他的墳墓還在他們那裡。然後彼得說了一句非常有意思的話：「大衛並沒有升到天上」（使徒行傳2:34）。想一想，大衛是一個合神心意的人，然而彼得卻明說大衛沒有升到天上。耶穌在約翰福音3:13中也說了類似的話：「除了從天降下仍舊在天的人子，沒有人升過天。」
那麼我們死後會怎樣？聖經反覆將死亡描述為一種睡眠。傳道書9:5告訴我們，死人一無所知。傳道書9:10講到墳墓裡沒有工作、思想、知識或智慧。約伯問了一個非常重要的問題：「人若死了，豈能再活呢？」然後約伯說他願意等待，直到他的改變來到（約伯記14:14-15）。所以，聖經所描繪的圖景並不是人死後立刻去天堂。相反，死人被描繪為在墳墓中沉睡，等待復活。
現在，圖景變得真正令人振奮了。想想你晚上睡覺時會發生什麼。你閉上眼睛，進入睡眠，然後醒來。你可能睡了六、七、八個小時，但你並沒有意識到那段時間的流逝。死亡也被類似地描述。一個人可能在墳墓裡待很多年，但從那個人的角度來看，他完全沒有時間流逝的意識。就好像前一剎那他還是死的——下一剎那他就在復活中活過來了。
然後會發生什麼？神的國建立在地上。耶穌基督將作為君王統治。那些復活並得榮耀的人將有機會與祂一同作王。聖經說到聖徒將與基督一同統治地上的萬民（但以理書7:27；提摩太後書2:12；啟示錄2:26-28；5:9-10；20:4-6；22:5）。這與死後直接上天堂的觀念大不相同，不是嗎？聖經呈現的是一個未來的復活和一個真實的神的國在這地上施行統治。
如果神要建立一個國，那個國沒有律法能運作嗎？當然不能。想想今天任何一個國家。如果沒有法律會怎樣？每个人都可以隨心所欲地做自己眼中看為正的事。這正是士師記21:25所描述的情形。神的國不會那樣運作。神不是混亂的作者（哥林多前書14:33）。會有秩序，會有和平，會有行為的標準。那個標準就是神的律法。這裡我們需要謹慎：遵守神的律法並不意味著我們能賺取救恩。救恩是神的禮物。但神的律法確實向我們顯明了祂期望我們如何生活。它提供了我們學習與神並與彼此和諧相處的標準。
耶穌在被問到怎樣才能得永生時，把這一點說得非常明白。祂的回答是：「你若要進入永生，就當遵守誡命」（馬太福音19:17）。這非常直接。請注意啟示錄12:17如何描述聖徒——他們被描述為「守神誡命、為耶穌作見證的」。所以，順服神非常重要，極其重要。當你讀約翰福音14章時，你會發現耶穌在預備門徒面對即將來臨之事時，談到要遵守祂的誡命。祂的死並沒有使順服神變得無關緊要。事實上，祂的道成肉身正是順服天父——創造之終極主權君王——的至高典範。
有人可能會說：「等等，你是說如果我遵守神的律法，就能賺取救恩嗎？」不，我們不是這個意思。聖經非常清楚，救恩是神的禮物（以弗所書2:8），我們無法賺取。但同時，聖經同樣清楚，故意、持續地悖逆神的標準會使人被擋在神的國之外（加拉太書5:19-21）。所以我們必須把這兩個真理放在一起：救恩是神的禮物，但神也期望我們以改變生活方式來回應這份禮物。耶穌在約翰福音17:3中給了我們這幅圖景的另一個重要部分：「認識你獨一的真神，並且認識你所差來的耶穌基督，這就是永生。」請注意，耶穌將永生描述為認識神。當聖經說到「認識」某人時，其含義遠不止知道關於那個人的事實，它暗示一種親密、個人化、經歷性的關係。
神要我們認識祂，而不僅僅是知道關於祂的事。這是一個非常重要的區別。
這就引出了悔改。耶穌在馬可福音1:15中說：「你們當悔改，信福音。」那麼悔改是什麼意思？簡單來說，就是轉身——改變方向。假設你正走在一條路上，突然意識到自己走錯了方向。你會怎麼做？你轉身，改變方向。這就是悔改的含義。當我們聽到神的真理，認識到自己的生活方式是錯的，我們不只是說「對不起」，我們改變。施洗約翰說，我們應當「結出果子來，與悔改的心相稱」（馬太福音3:8）。換句話說，真正的悔改會產生證據，會改變我們的生活方式。人可能對某件事感到內疚，卻仍然繼續做同樣的事——那是懊悔。但悔改更進一步。悔改說：「我走錯了路，現在我要轉身跟隨神的道路。」改變會在行為中變得可見。
請注意悔改和相信是如何配合的。耶穌不只是說「信福音」，祂說：「悔改，信福音。」為什麼把這兩件事放在一起？因為真正的相信會產生行動。如果我們真正相信某件事，我們就會信賴它；如果我們信賴它，我們就會開始按照它來生活。你的信念會改變你的行為。同樣的原則也適用於屬靈層面。當我們真正相信神的信息時，它應當改變我們的生活方式。我們轉離錯誤，開始學習按照神的方式生活。這就是耶穌說「悔改，信福音」時所教導的。這個過程引導我們走向公義，並最終走向救恩和進入神的國（彼得後書1:2-11）。
現在我們需要問自己一個非常嚴肅的問題：我們今天聽到的是什麼福音？它與耶穌基督所傳的福音一樣嗎？還是我們已經逐漸用主要關於「使者」的信息取代了祂的信息？有一種廣泛流傳的教導幾乎完全聚焦於基督——祂的降生、祂的生平、祂的死亡和祂的犧牲。再次強調，這些都是絕對重要的。但耶穌來並不是僅僅為了告訴人們關於祂自己的事，祂來是傳講神的國。當祂差遣門徒出去時，重點也是宣告那個國。所以問題不是耶穌是否重要——祂當然重要。
問題是：我們聽到的是祂所帶來的完整信息嗎？因為我們所信的很重要，我們所接受的福音很重要，我們所傳的福音也很重要。保羅在加拉太書1:8中給出了非常嚴肅的警告：「但無論是我們，是天上來的使者，若傳福音給你們，與我們所傳給你們的不同，他就應當被咒詛！」這是嚴厲的話。為什麼？因為福音太重要了。我們不想用自己的想法取代神通過耶穌基督給我們的信息。我們需要回到聖經，問：耶穌究竟傳講了什麼？當我們這樣做時，我們一次又一次地找到同一個答案：神的國。
那麼讓我們把這一切綜合起來。福音不僅僅是一個關於罪得赦免的信息。它當然關乎赦免，當然關乎耶穌基督的犧牲，當然關乎神的愛。但它超越這一切。福音揭示了神要把人類帶向何處。它告訴我們祂即將到來的國，告訴我們耶穌基督將作為君王所扮演的角色，告訴我們復活的事，教導我們神期望我們如何生活，並指引我們朝向神在我們生命中正在成就的終極旨意。
有一點我們應該記住：這不是一夜之間發生的。神不會某一天突然向我們顯明祂的真理，然後期望我們立刻理解並成就一切。這是一個終生的過程。我們學習，我們成長，我們改變，我們與神建立關係，我們學習信靠祂，我們學習順服祂——正如耶穌通過順服天父差遣祂道成肉身的使命所樹立的榜樣。渐渐地，神的話語教導我們正走向何處，以及我們當如何生活，以便達到祂擺在我們面前的目標。
這就是為什麼福音確實是好消息。它給我們盼望，給我們目的，告訴我們為什麼我們在這裡，告訴我們神正把我們引向何方，也給我們理由去改變我們今天的生活方式。所以，當我們聽到「福音」這個詞時，不要自動以為它只是關於耶穌死亡的故事。讓我們回到聖經，聆聽耶穌基督實際所傳的信息。我們發現什麼？我們發現一個真正非凡的宣告：神的國即將到來。
神正在呼召我們為之預備——不僅僅是口裡說我們相信，而是讓那個信念轉化我們的生活方式。